Written by: Natalie Alvarez
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Olympics were forced to reschedule to the summer of 2021. This came with lots of creativity in the Ad world and gave many brands the opportunity to push out their best work.
Nike
Nike’s campaign of “The Best Day Ever,” created by Wieden+Kennedy, was a part of their “Play New” campaign. This ad used well-known athletes such as Serena Williams and Sha'Carri Richardson to promote this campaign. The video highlighted accomplishments that athletes make to better their tomorrow. This ad also shone a light on mental health and the importance of athletes taking care of themselves.
Nike also released another ad titled “The New Fairies,” the same day Rayssa Leak, a 13-year-old Brazilian, won the silver medal in the first-ever women’s Olympic skateboarding street event. This ad used the song “A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes,” which is famous for its feature in Disney’s Cinderella. The ad includes visuals of Disney animals and shows the creative mind of a young 13-year-old and she skates around town.
Dick’s Sporting Goods “There She Is”
Dick’s Sporting Goods came out with their “There She Is” ad by focusing on female athletes. The tune “Miss America” by Johnny Desmond was used throughout. This ad not only fits the tone of focusing on the Olympics but can also be used as a way for female empowerment. The chief marketing director of Dick’s Sporting Goods, Ed Plummer, stated in an interview with Fast Company that “we’ve thought about this as more broad than the Olympics.”
Beats By Dre
Beats by Dre released an ad starring track star Sha’Carri Richardson. Richardson was banned from the Olympics after a positive marijuana test and was unable to compete. This ad also promoted Kanye West and the drop of his new album “DONDA,” by using a song that was to be featured on the album. Richardson is dressed in Nike and is wearing the Beats by Dre headphones. Although Richardson was not allowed to participate in the Olympics due to the drug test, other companies such as Nike showed their support for her by including her in their ads.
As Skateboarding made its first appearance in the 2021 Olympics this year, Facebook took advantage of this new sport to create their “Longboard Family” ad. According to an article by CNN, many skateboarders were not happy with the fact that this has now been added in the Olympics. Most see Skateboarding as a lifestyle rather than a sport. This ad was created by Droga5 and directed by FKA Twigs. Throughout the ad, it shows skateboarders putting their skills on display, while also promoting the Facebook app through sharing their creative videos.
United Airlines
The official airline sponsor of the Team USA 2021 Olympics, United Airlines, released their “Time to Let Yourself Fly” campaign to promote air travel during the 2021 Olympics. Because the Olympics were hosted in Tokyo this past year, United wanted to promote air travel since the world is now opening back up after the pandemic. This ad campaign used athletes such as gymnast Simon Biles and surfer Kolohe Andin. This year marked 40 years that United Airlines has sponsored Team USA along with their partnership to fly out athletes along with all their equipment.